DOVER — Christina Thomas, who is serving a prison sentence for depriving a young boy of food for several years, appeared at Strafford County Superior Court Tuesday for a sentencing hearing on several other charges.

Thomas, 35, of New Durham, pleaded guilty last month to charges including perjury and falsifying physical evidence, as well as criminal threatening and three counts of simple assault. The perjury and falsifying physical evidence charges were filed after a three-week trial in February 2013, in which a jury found Thomas guilty of first-degree assault for depriving a young boy of proper nutrition between 2006 and 2010. At the time, Thomas and her mother, Peggy Starr, were his guardians, according to prosecutors.

The young boy — who is the son of Thomas' former friend — was between 3 and 6 years old when he was deprived of food. At the time, he and his biological mother lived at Thomas' home on Birch Hill Road in New Durham. Due to malnutrition, the boy weighed just 23 pounds at the age of 6½, when he was taken from the home by the Division of Children, Youth, and Families.

Thomas is currently serving 10 to 30 years in prison on the first-degree charge, a Class A felony.

During last year's trial, witnesses testified seeing the young boy being locked in a dog kennel while he cried of hunger and Thomas withholding food from him as a way of punishment.

At the trial, Thomas made one of her biological children unavailable to testify in court, which led to the falsifying physical evidence charge against her. She also committed perjury by lying on the stand.

Thomas last month also pleaded guilty to threatening the boy's biological mother with a knife by putting the weapon to her throat in 2008. In addition, she pleaded guilty to three simple assault charges against the same woman — for striking her in the face more than once, causing her lip to bleed, and shoving her face into a cake pan in 2010.

Despite the guilty pleas to the additional charges, it is unlikely that Thomas will serve additional jail or prison time on top of her current 10- to 30-year sentence.

As part of a plea agreement, Thomas on Tuesday was given a suspended prison sentence of 3½ to 7 years — a sentence she will not have to serve as long as she remains on good behavior for the next 20 years.

She was also given a 12-month jail sentence for the simple assault and criminal threatening charges. The jail sentence will run concurrent to the prison sentence she is currently serving.

During Tuesday's sentencing hearing, the young boy's biological mother said she cannot understand how her relationship with Thomas went from friendship to being toxic.

She recalled that she moved in with Thomas when she had nowhere to go. Thomas had invited her into her home in New Durham, saying she would help raise her son. While living with Thomas, both the boy and his mother suffered abuse, according to testimony at last year's trial.

The boy, who will be 11 years old in August, is now in an open adoptive relationship with his biological mother, who is soon moving to Arizona, she said.

Although the young victim is doing better, and has gained weight since being taken from Thomas' home, his mother said, “He will never be a normal child. He will always have issues.”

She said she still has nightmares after the years spent at Thomas' home.

The boy's mother, who has developmental issues, also took some responsibility for the events, stating she could have moved out of Thomas' home, but didn't.

Thomas, and her defense lawyers, did not say anything during Tuesday's sentencing hearing. Throughout the hearing, Thomas hid her face by covering it with a folder.

Starr, who now lives in Nottingham, is also facing a first-degree assault charge for allegedly depriving the boy of food, in concert with her daughter. She is scheduled for a final pretrial conference on Sept. 25 in Strafford County Superior Court.